Improvement in botaey steam-engines



JWH. VANVSANDT & J. J. HURT.

- ROTARY STEAM ENGINE.

No. 65,312. Patented May 28, 1867 Inventor.-

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JOHN H.- VAN SANDT AND JAMES. J.-HURT, OF PRINCETON, INDIANA.

* Letters Patent No. 65,312, dated May 28, 1867. I

IMPROVEMENT IN ROTARY STEAMTNGTNES.

TQ ALL WHOM IT MAY oonennn:

Beit known that we, Jonii H. VAN SAnn'r and JAMES J. HURT, of-Princeton, in'the county of Gibson, and State oflndiana, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Rotary Steam Engines; and we do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof, which will enable others skilled in the 'art to makeand use the same, reference being bad to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification. 1

This invention relates to the manner in which an uninterrupted action oi' the steam upon the shaft of a steam engine is obtained, whereby the objections to a crank and the difliculty experienced from dead-centres is overcome, and theinventioneonsists in providing separate chambers, (or rather a horizontal cylinder with a partition through the middle of it,) and with a shaft running through it, which shaft has pistons or wings attached to it in each chamber; and also in the manner in which the steam is made to operate on the piston, as

will be hereinafter described.

Figure 1 represents ziplan or top view of our-engine with the upper portion of the cylinder 0K and supertion of the steam-chest broken away in order to show the interior to better advantage.

- Figure 2 is a vertical section of fig. 1 through the line a: :r.

Similar letters of reference indicate like parts. A represents the main shaft, which runs-entirely through the engine, and upon each end of which there is a cam. B and C represent the pistons firmly attached to the main shaft. D is a partition in the cylinder,'

"dividing it into two parts or chambers. E is a valve which shuts into one of the chambers to confine the steam while the piston C is making its revolution. F is another slide-valve, which performs the same duty for the piston B. These valves are thrown into the chambers and in contact with the shaft, (closing the cylinder steaintight for the time being,) by the action of thecams which are 'on the ends of-t-he main shaft. G represents thecams, seen plainly in fig. 2. Thesecams are connected to the valves by a series of jointed rods, as seen in 2. After the valves are forced into the cylinder by the cams they are drawn back instantaneously by the action of springs which are connected with eachcain, one of which is seen in figj l, marked g. These springs are in contact with the revolving cam, and when the cam slips off from the end of the spring the spring recoil s, operating thereby upon the system of connecting-rods before mentioned, and. withdrawing the valve in time to let the piston pass in its revolution. These pistons act under. the pressure of the steam alternately. When one chamber is taking steam the other is exhausting-and vice versa. H shows the exhaust port. J represents-the steam pipes. lhesc pipes connect with the steamchest, a portion of which is seen in fig. 2, at K. The course of the steam is indicated by arrows. The valves in the steam-chest are operated by the same cams and the same springs which operate the valves in the chambers before mentioned. L, fig. 1, is a rock-shaft to which the valve-arms and rods are connected, and this shaft, being rocked by the cams G, imparts the proper motion to the valves. It will be seen that by'thisnrrangemeni. we get a. continuous action of .thesteam, whereby the main shaft is rotated without the use of a crank andwithout the trouble occasioned by dead-centres.

What we claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

The arrangement of the cams Gr, springs g, valves F, with referonccto the system of cranks e,.connections leading from the shaft L, substantially as described for the purpose specified.

JOHN H. VAN SIANDT,

JAMES J. HURT.

Witnesses:

W. W. BLAIR, Wu. L. Donsnv. 

